New dad grabs sudden chance
Josh Jacomb did not expect to be packing up and moving away from his partner and young daughter early in the New Year.
But a sudden shot at Super Rugby Pacific has seen some sacrifices made by the rookie Chiefs playmaker, and those around him, as he all of a sudden adjusts his rugby goals.
The 22-year-old Taranaki first-five was considered one of the unluckiest players in the country to miss out on a Super contract, fresh off guiding the amber and blacks to glory in the NPC.
There was consolation in being included as one of five players in the Chiefs’ wider training squad, but things have quickly got a bit more serious, with Kaleb Trask still battling a long-term injury issue.
That saw Jacomb brought into the main squad as a replacement, for the opening six rounds, initially, and swiftly have to pack up and leave partner Bonnie and daughter Jorgi-Lee in New Plymouth to move to Hamilton, where he’d be required fulltime instead of two days a week.
Making appearances in all three pre-season games − including a standout display against Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay on the trip to Japan − it was still quite the jolt for Jacomb to be handed a debut against the Reds in Brisbane in round three.
“I didn’t get told before [the team meeting on the Tuesday], so it was a nice little surprise, a few different emotions − surprised, shocked, a bit anxious.’’
What Jacomb did not bank on, though, was another chance just seven days later.
When Josh Ioane left training sick last Tuesday, the youngster was told to stay ready for the Saturday night game against the Fijian Drua in Hamilton, before getting his place in the reserves confirmed on Thursday morning.
When Jacomb set foot on Waikato Stadium for the final 15 minutes of the 46-29 victory, he had “a good little support crew in the crowd” in family from Auckland, as well as one awake 8-month-old girl, and a partner he knows he owes a lot to.
“It definitely changes things, being away from home,” Jacomb says. “But I probably wouldn’t be here if my partner didn’t want me to. She’s a massive supporter of mine. So for allowing me to almost pack up and move to a different city while she stays home and holds the fort, I thank her so much for that.”
In Hamilton, Jacomb lives with wider training group member and Taranaki teammate Mills Sanerivi, and Naitoa Ah Kuoi − the biggest personality in the Chiefs’ team.
“It’s something different, that’s for sure,” Jacomb quips of what it’s like sharing a house with the extroverted second-rower. “It’s good after a big training day, he’s usually a bit more quiet. But we love his energy, he definitely gets me out of my comfort zone.”
Having grown up in Auckland but been a big watcher of the Crusaders due to being a Dan Carter “fan boy”, Jacomb is now soaking up everything he can from arguably the competition’s premier No 10 in Damian McKenzie − a player he used to watch when growing up through high school.
“And even the likes of Josh [Ioane] and the other older boys with more experience, the biggest thing I’ve probably learnt is how they deliver messages, how they’re calm and what they expect from others. That’s what you want from your 10s.”
Jacomb says there hadn’t been much disappointment on his part when missing out on an initial Super contract, noting that even though it was his third NPC season, he hadn’t really been logging consistent game-time for the Naki until a month or so out from the playoffs.
But sometimes you don’t have to wait too long for things to turn, notes Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan. “He’s probably been given more of an opportunity in the Chiefs environment than he may have anticipated initially,” he says of his young charge. “He’s making every post a winner.
So, what now are the revised goals for this promising playmaker, then?
“Just leaving no stone unturned and making sure I make the most of it.”